Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen has hit upon a sure fire winner with his accompanists on Song For A New Decade. He has enlisted the services of a world class rhythm section in the person of bassist William Parker and drummer Andrew Cyrille, a combination which might show anyone in a good light. But Innanen possesses personality enough to thrive in their company and avoids the common pitfall of being overly reverent. In a sumptuous two disc package, well up to ...

Song for a New Decade joins relative newcomer, Finnish saxophonist/composer Mikko Innanen with veteran drummer Andrew Cyrille and bassist William Parker, the latter appearing on the first of the two-disc set. Innanen has won numerous European music awards and though much of his playing and recording has been regional, he has performed with drummer Han Bennink, saxophonists John Tchicai and Chris Speed, guitarist Marc Ducret and bassist Barry Guy. Parker has been leader on more than forty recordings and has ...

Finnish multi-reedman Mikko Innanen (Delirium, TUMO) is not short on ideas, here on this bracing 2-CD set recorded in New York with the all-universe rhythm section of bassist William Parker (CD-1 only) and drummer Andrew Cyrille. A fresh voice on the Euro progressive jazz scene, Innanen has imparted his skills amid collaborations with jazz and improvising stalwarts, drummer Han Bennink, saxophonist Frank Gratkowski and a horde of other notables. But young artists often rise to the occasion when performing with ...

Mikko Innanen's Innkvisitio Sellohalli 10th Anniversary Concert Helsinki March 13, 2014Much music is best consumed with a pinch of salt, if not a glass of beer or something stronger, and the best works of Mikko Innanen are quite hard on the aural digestive system. But as any good meal appeals to far more senses than the gastronomic, so Innanen is involved in more than a musical odyssey. Moreover the meal he serves has to ...

This is modern European jazz at its finest. Bold and inventive, smart and informative, ironic, funny but also sad and melancholic, the highly engaging Clustrophy addresses the rich jazz legacy on both sides of the Atlantic, without being bound to any specific style or genre. Finnish reed player Mikko Innanen has gained experience as a charismatic and articulate composer, improviser and leader with musicians from the Nordic arena, as well as from New York's downtown scene. Innkvistio ...

When a band parlays different styles and moods into one defining experience, as saxophonist Mikko Innanen and Innavista do on Clustrophy, it would be easy for some of the music to slip down the hatch of inconsequence. The band, however, keeps this at bay with an avid sense of observation and release, letting structure stamp the quintet's class and freedom to find its realm without losing focus. The path to resolution has some surprising twists and turns that are navigated ...

There can be something as obtuse about the artist in person as there is about his music. From the opening blast of his second luxuriously produced album for TUM, it's obvious that woodwind and reed multi-instrumentalist Mikko Innanen is playing mind games with his audience, which may please or tease you. The tunes represent quite a cavalcade of moods and arrangements, let alone instrumentation. This is partly the result of Innanen's own interest in pushing the sonic ...

An improviser searches for meaningful ways to connect one moment to the next; the meaning they find often depends on where they start. The French trio Triade and Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen understand just how valuable choosing the right starting point is. CD samples, Arnold Schöenberg, Serge Gainsbourg and dark, yet simple themes all served as jumping off points for them, and those points helped them to create a ...

I grew up listening to my father's jazz records and listening to the radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy

I grew up listening to my father's jazz records and listening to the radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy. So music and jazz specifically have been a part of me since I was born. I love and perform in all styles of music from around the world. Improvisation in jazz is what drew me in, and still does as well as other genres that feature improvisation. A group of great musicians expressing themselves as one is the hallmark of great jazz and in fact all great music.